EuroCOP Head of Office attends Brussels to meet with General Secretaries of the European Trade Union Federation’s

Salary increases are the main solution to the cost of living crisis. Yet, following years of stagnating wages, it is in the midst of this crisis that the UK Government is attempting to push through legislation that enables real term pay cuts.

The UK Government claims it is aligning its laws with those of other Western European countries. The reality is that British strike laws are already amongst the most restrictive of comparable countries and the new legislation will enable further attacks on working people’s conditions.

Instead of attempting to subdue the collective demands of working people, the UK Government should listen to the legitimate issues being raised.

Compared to other countries in Europe the UK has some of most draconian rights to take industrial action.

The question often asked by our UK Police affiliates as to why they cannot have the same industrial rights as their counterparts in Scandinavian countries, which is a justifiable issue to raise.

EuroCOPS UK affiliates:

Scottish Police Federation

Police Federation of Northern Ireland

British Transport Police Federation

Civil Nuclear Police Federation

Defence Police Federation

Unfortunately it’s not a conversation the current U.K. Government along with the dissolved Governments of the UK have the maturity to enter into meaningful dialogue on this matter.

EuroCOP in partnership with EPSU and EuroMil are working in collaboration on an EU Funded project on Trade Union rights for Public Workers.

The academic work which is currently being finalised by Ghent University on this subject and which was commissioned by the 3 representative bodies identifies the challenges experienced by Police representative bodies across the European landscape.

There are 12 European Trade Union Federations (ETUF) affiliated to the ETUC. They represent workers in individual sectors, ranging from Policing, journalism and entertainment to the chemical and metal industries.

The European Trade Union Federations are responsible for European social dialogue at sectoral level: the 35 different sectoral committees discuss issues specific to the industries they cover and can agree a wide range of initiatives. The ETUC, in its turn, is responsible for European social dialogue on the cross-sectoral level.

The European trade union federations are represented in the ETUC’s Congress (Article , Executive Committee (Article 14) and Steering Committee (Article 21). There are 12 affiliated European trade union federations, as follows:

EAEA European Arts and Entertainment Alliance

EUROCOP

European Confederation of Police

EFBWW/FETBB

European Federation of Building and Woodworkers/Fédération Européenne des Travailleurs du Bâtiment et du Bois

EFFAT

European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions/Fédération Européenne des Syndicats de l’Alimentation, de l’Agriculture et du Tourisme

EFJ/FEJ

European Federation of Journalists/Fédération Européenne des Journalistes

EMCEF

European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation/Fédération Européenne des Syndicats des Mines, de la Chimie et de l’Energie

EMF/FEM

European Metalworkers’ Federation/Fédération Européenne des Métallurgistes

EPSU

European Federation of Public Service Unions/Fédération Syndicale Européenne des Services Publics

ETF

European Transport Workers’ Federation/Fédération Européenne des Travailleurs des Transports

ETUCE/CSEE

European Trade Union Committee for Education/Comité Syndical Européen de l’Éducation

ETUF-TCL/FSE-THC

European Trade Union Federation – Textiles Clothing and Leather/Fédération Syndicale Européenne du Textile, de l’Habillement et du Cuir

UNI-EUROPA

Union Network International

All of these European trade union federations are consulted as social partners by the European Commission under article 154 of the TFEU.